WHITEHAVEN sit proudly at the top of the new Co-operative Championship after one of the most remarkable victories on the road in their history.

Ged Stokes’ men were 32-0 ahead after 21 minutes at Featherstone and although Rovers halved the lead by the interval the Cumbrians went on to win 52-26.

It’s only two games into the season but Haven have made a lightning start with 92 points scored and a maximum six point haul.

They have a chance to build on that this week-end when they host Toulouse Olympique.

Stokes said: “We had a depleted pack but the forward effort was excellent. If you look at Gregg McNally’s performance it was all about what a fine support player, and an uncanny reader of the game and he’s a brilliant runner with the ball.

“It’s extraordinary to watch him running, but the point is that there were people out there giving him something to support.”

McNally (pictured in scoring action at Whitehaven) helped himself to four tries and with eight goals from 11 kicks to add he was always going to pick up the man of the match award – even without all the other good things he did.

Daryl Powell, the Featherstone coach couldn’t hide his anger as he said afterwards: “We were disgraceful and would have been unacceptable anywhere. Our defensive effort was blown apart from start to finish and to play like that in front of your own supporters is just not on.”

It took only three minutes for Whitehaven to take the lead when stand-in prop Leroy Joe barged over from Jamie Theoharous clever pass and then McNally scored the first of his four after picking up a loose ball.

It was soon a procession – Scott McAvoy going in from Rob Jackson’s well-timed pass and then McNally swept onto a clever kick from Carl Rudd to score his second.

A McNally penalty stretched the Whitehaven lead and then substitute Chris Smith took Spencer Miller’s pass close to the line to score with his first touch of the ball.

The home team, not to mention their fans, were stunned but they did have their best spell of the game in the second quarter.

Ian Hardman went over on 28 minutes and after John Fallon had been put over by Andy Kain, Hardman scored his second on 37 minutes. Two conversions from a largely invisible Iestyn Harris cut the gap to 16-32 at the break.

If Featherstone scored first in the second-half there was just a possibility they could come back to make a game of it.

But nine minutes after the restart McNally swooped to pick-up a dropped Featherstone pass and shoot through to complete his hat-trick and convert.

Jackson, who was excellent throughout for Whitehaven, got his name on the score-sheet after 54 minutes after Carl; Rudd had done the spadework. Then McNally intercepted a Harris pass to race almost the full length of the field and score his fourth.

Kain and Matt Dale scored tries for Featherstone late-on, but they were only a statistical consolation, and fittingly Whitehaven had the final word when centre John Patrick went in wide-out from a pass by the remarkable McNally.

In scoring 32 points McNally equalled the club record set-up by Mick Nanyn of points in a game.

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